After earning a victory in the first start of his collegiate career last Saturday, Penn State goalie Connor Darcey was named the first-ever recipient of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.

No. 14 Penn State defeated Vermont 15-8 in their season-opener, the team’s first game as a member of the newly-formed Big Ten Lacrosse conference. Darcey, a redshirt sophomore, filled former goalie Austin Kaut’s big shoes with a .652 save percentage, turning aside 15 shots. On top of his 15 saves, he also scooped up three ground balls.

Darcey made more saves than any other Big Ten goalie this week, with Ohio State’s Tom Carey tallying 13 in a loss to Detroit and Michigan’s Gerald Logan adding 12 in a win over Bellarmine.

Newly formed this year, Big Ten lacrosse features traditional programs Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, new conference additions Maryland and Rutgers, and national powerhouse Johns Hopkins. The conference will host a tournament at the end of the season and have an automatic berth for the NCAA tournament beginning in the 2016-17 season.

Photo: Mark Selders/GoPSUSports.com